The Combat Aviation Brigade of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Div. is deploying to Iraq 45 days early to support the surge in U.S. forces in the Baghdad area.

Boeing AH-64Ds and CH-47 Chinooks and Sikorsky Aircraft UH-60s from the brigade flew to Savannah, Ga. last month to be loaded on ships that will transport them to the theater. They are being supplemented by Bell Helicopter OH-58D Kiowa Warriors from the 3rd Sqdn., 17th Cavalry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Div. Thirty of that squadron’s OH-58Ds flew to Hunter Army Air Field, Ga. from their base at Fort Drum, N.Y. in preparation for shipboard loading.

"When you surge ground forces, that makes the headlines," the Combat Aviation Brigade’s commander, Col. Daniel Ball, told The Savannah Morning News. "But to support those combat forces, you also need those other organizations that allow ground forces to work."